The South of Italy is summery, even in October. The lemon and olive groves are fragrant, and seasonally flavored gelato is available everywhere you turn. (I recommend the Ricotta Pear at Davide.) Sorrento is the perfect jumping-off point for exploring the area.
We began our day with a Azamara Shore Excursions Tour, to have wine and cheese at the Michelin Restaurant Quattro Passi.
Our tour was small an intimate – a group of twelve guests, a local guide, and Anita from the Azamara Shore Excursions team here onboard. We drove along the Sorrento peninsula, stopping for a photo opportunity along the way. The views were breathtaking. This part of Italy is famous for winding cliffside roads, and our journey did not disappoint. I was just relieved to be merely a passenger, and not behind the wheel!
A view of the island Capri in the distance, with fragrant lemon and olive trees immediately below.
Olives are harvested in October, and everywhere I looked along our route, I saw trees with netting strung beneath. Olives are harvested two ways: using a machine to shake tree branches, or manually, beating the branches with sticks. The olives fall into the nets, ready to become delicious Extra Virgin Olive Oil! Many small farms in this area grow olives, lemons, oranges and grapes.
Quattro Passi is a two-star Michelin restaurant located in Nerano, Italy. We first toured their fascinating wine cellar – I easily could have spent a whole day in there, listening to the knowledgeable maître de talk about the restaurant’s wide selection of wine, grappa, whiskey and more.
Next, we were seated in the restaurant, overlooking the sparkling blue sea. We tasted two local wines – a white and a red – and enjoyed cheese, charcuterie and bruschetta. The tour was a fantastic way to experience Calabrian cuisine at one of the region’s most renowned restaurants.
Quattro Passi was also our Hide & Tweet secret location of the day! Congratulations to Lindsay, who’s been passionately playing along all week and correctly identified today’s spot! Lindsay will receive a Moleskine Voyageur Notebook – perfect for keeping a diary during an Azamara cruise! (Lindsay tells me she’ll be on the Journey next month!)
After lunch, our group parted ways to explore the quaint streets of Sorrento. This is an ideal place for shopping. Shoes, handbags, souvenirs, food - they’re all displayed along cobblestone pathways.
I went all in on la dolce vita, enjoying pizza margherita, gelato and sampling limoncello at a lemon grove.
After a filling and fulfilling day in Sorrento, I returned to the Azamara Quest to enjoy a glass of wine and the great views. Tomorrow, we’ll be in another part of Italy: Sicily! Stay tuned for another round of Hide & Tweet and live updates from our AzAmazing Evening.
Ciao,
Jill
Sorrento becomes less crowded and more relaxed in October. This 7 Night Sicily & Malta Voyage in 2016 is perfect for travellers who enjoy a slower pace.